ANNA MARIA – After a two-week delay due to torrential downpours, the Island’s recreational adult co-ed flag football league playoffs started last Thursday with the eight teams vying for a spot in the semifinals.
In the closest game of the night, both teams came off the field drenched from the humid air with Floridian Mortgage clinching the first semifinal spot 32-24. Winning by eight points over Solid Rock Air Conditioning, the top-ranked team had to fight hard under the heat of the sun.
Quarterback Chase Richardson threw for five touchdowns to Tim Holly, Rex Kesten and Zach Wyrick. Tyler Brewer and Kesten each added a point to the scoreboard with catches from Richardson after the team’s TDs.
On defense, Derrick Carey had two interceptions off throws by Solid Rock Air Conditioning quarterback Dominick Otteni. The Solid Rock defense kept the pressure on with 20 team flag pulls.
The pressure on the Floridian QB forced three Richardson interceptions to help keep Solid Rock in the game for the two halves of play. Karri Stephens, Zaon Williams and Otteni each snagged a Richardson pass, giving their team the football.
Offensively, Otteni found his targets for four touchdowns to score 24 points. Williams caught for 18, while Stephens was the receiver for six.
The Solid Rock Air Conditioning team could not find the endzone for a point after conversion, reducing their score by four points and dampening momentum each time the team scored. With the loss, Floridian Mortgage plays Moss Builders at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Moss Builders secured its place in the next round of the playoffs with a win against Solid Rock Electrical 33-12. Brothers Moss faced each other in the QB position with Ryan Moss out-throwing Jonathan six touchdowns to two.
Each brother had two interceptions in the game. J. Moss’ interceptions came from the hands of his cousin, Greg Moss, playing for Moss Builders. Solid Rock Electrical’s Jesse Skipper and Zach Long made the takeaways from R. Moss.
A different family battle continued in the game with the faces of the Solid Rock group. James Roadman and Peggy Smith, in-laws, scored the touchdowns for Moss Builders, while Evelyn and Zach Long, also in-laws of Roadman and Smith, made plays happen for Solid Rock Electrical.
G. Moss and Shawn Balvin also scored for the Moss Builders team. Their counterparts, Brandon Rolland and Skipper each found the endzone with the football in hand to score for team Solid Rock Electrical.
Earning their spot in the semifinal round, Salty Printing found their groove, defeating team Slim’s Place 33-12. The Slim’s QB was held to two touchdown passes to Jaden Grant. Defensively, the team could not stop Salty with only three recorded flag pulls by Isaiah Lambert, Jana Whitehead and Rodriguez.
On the other side of the field, Charles “Tuna” McCracken threw for four touchdowns, finding lifelong friend Blake Balais for two. Raul Loera and Matt Manger were McCracken’s targets for the other TDs.
Finding his footing on the gridiron, Loera scored two of the three extra points, with Christian Hampton putting one point on the scoreboard.
The Salty defense was on fire with two sacks and three interceptions, including a pick-six by Balais in the win.
Salty Printing faces Fishing with Salty on Thursday, Sept. 12 in the second semifinal game. Fishing with Salty defeated Prosper Bradenton 35-18 to move them to the next round of play.
In a lopsided game, the Fishing team’s Miguel Rodriguez threw for three TDs. Dina DeJesus scored twelve points, with teammates Matthew Briley and Rodriguez catching the other two.
Rodriguez showed his versatility on the field with a touchdown reception from Jonathan Soultatos. He was also the only player of the night to put a rushing TD in the statistics.
Scoring for Prosper Bradenton, QB Ray Gardner hit Tony Giammari twice and found Connor Ludwig for six points in the team’s final loss of the season.
The championship game is scheduled to be played following the last semifinal game on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 8:30 p.m. at The Center to close out the season.
SUN SCOREBOARD
SEPT. 5
ADULT CO-ED FLAG FOOTBALL – ROUND ONE PLAYOFFS
Floridian Mortgage 32
Solid Rock Air Conditioning 24
Salty Printing 33
Slim’s Place 12
Fishing with Salty 35
Prosper Bradenton 18
Moss Builders 33
Solid Rock Electrical 12
